I think everyone recognizes that there are soldiers who everyday are performing their duty professionally and bravely. That's what we expect of what should be considered the finest military in the World so when a few bad apples behave badly that stands out and absorbs more attention than the actions of the rest of our troops. Its like when Ron Artests beats up a fan that doesn't mean that all Basketball players are thugs. In fact the majority of pro-basketball players are generally good people who go about their business professionally and treat the fans and communities respectfully. The way you keep harping on about this would be like saying that Kenny Smith's criticism of Ron Artest is really slandering Tim Duncan.
Durbing was reading from an FBI report. It is not Durbin who has slandered, but those that the committed the atrocities. You might be able to just change your screen name to shoot the messenger.
durbin must go. do the dems have the guts to police their own? -- http://news.bostonherald.com/opinion/view.bg?articleid=89685 The second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate has compared American servicemen and women to Nazis on the floor of that body. Has political debate sunk so low that a comment that hideous can be made by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) without repercussions? Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) lost his leadership position for the lesser if still odious offense of praising Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign which had taken place decades earlier. ``If I read this ... and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others,'' Durbin said of Guantanamo ``abuses'' like ratcheting up the air conditioning in detainees' cells. When Amnesty International makes such comparisons it irreversibly damages its credibility. When a U.S. senator does so, he damages the institution and the country he serves. Durbin must go.
Of course Durbin didn't really compare U.S. troops to Nazis on the floor of the senate. What he did was use an FBI report to show that conditions from that report would bring to mind NAzis or Soviet Gulags. If there is torture going on and prisoners being held indefinitely then that is indeed a similarity, and in that particuluar aspect Durbing was correct. I am happy to see that Durbin is attempting to tackle the problem. What Durbin compared to Nazis and Soviet Gulag was the administrations policies that allow the kind of treatment he mentioned. Nowhere in the FBI report or Durbin's statement did he make one single remark derogatory toward the U.S. troops. I think the Dems are going to police their own. But they just need an example. They are waiting for the GOP to get rid of Rick Santorum who compared the Dems to NAzis over the whole filibuster issue. Which is the more inaccurate compating torture with torture, or comparing a constitutionally protected procedure with Nazis? Do the GOP have the guts to police their own?
I was wondering the same thing about you. But of course I won't hold my hand on my ass waiting for an answer.
Neither did Dick Durbin. What Dick Durbin compared to Pol Pot was policy by the administration which allows for inhumane conditions, human rights abuses, torture etc. Which of those was Pol Pot not guilty of? Which of those was not described in the FBI report? ::EDIT:: It is possible to criticize the administration's policy without criticizing the military. Durbin's comments were directed at the administration's policy and not at the military.
have you lost all sense of perspective? harsh treatment is not torture. this is not torture this, however, is and this is it's result as is this these are its implements as is this and this these guys didn't get to read their korans nor did he
Basso; You're reaching some serious lows even for the D & D. As I said I agree Sen. Durbin's comments were hyperbolous but your gratuitous display is surpassing even hyperbole. Is your point that because the practices at Abu Ghraib isn't as attrocious as the other examples shown that we shouldn't talk about them? I don't know about you but I don't even put our troops into the same moral ballpark as the terrorists which is why I will hold them to a much higher standard than Zaqari and Bin Ladin. OTOH your argument seems to be, "well its OK that discipline breaks down every now and then and they physically and mentally abuse prisoners at least they're not crucifying them." You just don't seem to get that our troops behavior shouldn't even be comparable to terrorists because we're supposed to be civilized. We're held to a higher standard because we believe in a higher standard. When we behave in a way that's not consistent with that its worse than just hypocrisy but provides more amunition to our enemy. Your attitude seems to be that bringing up the issue is dangerous. Well having abuses occur is dangerous already and unless we consistently and forcefully address the issue it makes it worse because our enemies will use our own hypocracy against us.
Basso, I have asked before and I don't believe I got an answer. I will try again. Why is it that you always result to the panties when U.S. torture is brought up. The pentagon, FBI, Army etc. have reported the U.S. killing, and raping prisoners. Why don't you address instances of U.S. torture including hanging a man until he died. One of the pictures you showed as torture appear to be the very same thing the U.S. did according to reports from the Pentagon. You are being very selective in what you are saying. I know that sometimes we may not want to believe our nation is capable of such things. I know I wished it weren't true, which is why I am so angry about it. Maybe it will help you come to grips with it if you read about the fighting Kentucky crowd right after you face the truth of what was done. I know that sometimes I have to remind myself of the good stories to help ease the pain of the bad ones. But I won't hide from our govts. own reports which list the U.S. as having killed, and raped prisoners. Why do you ignore those and keep retreating back to panties on the head whenever someone brings up the topic? ::EDIT:: You also glossed over the point I made of Durbin not even mentioning the military but directing his attacks at the administration's policy which allowed prisoners to be bound and forced to urinate on themselves and lie in their own feces.
The hypocrisy is to be insistent on perfection. Mistakes are bound to be made. Humans are involved and, to top it off, they are involved in very stressful situations. There has been a glaring exposure. Adjustments have been and are being made. The constant yammering about it is paying right into the hands of the propogandists for terrorism.
You sure about this? Seems to me that Iraq had plenty to do with 9/11. Saddam invades Kuwait. US takes lead in containment post Gulf War 1. Containment = 9/11. Saying Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11 is just silly.
Mistakes are not being corrected they are being rewarded. That is the problem. Tell me what mistakes are being corrected when a person who writes a memo justifying torture is promoted to Attorney General. Tell me what mistakes are being corrected when current policy in place by this administration allows a prisoner to be forced to lay in his own feces and urinate on himself?
You misunderstood the post. Santorum compared the democratic filibuster issue(which is a constitutional right. That is where that comes into play.) with Nazis. Durbin compared a policy allowing prisoners to be forced to lie in their own feces and urinate on themselves with nazis and pol pot like policies.
You are too quick I edited my post. But to respond to this post. The U.S. supreme court disagreed with you.
